Adding flaxseed to your diet can improve your health. Do you know the best way to consume it?
In terms of nutrition, flaxseed is similar to a power plant, whose health benefits lie in the fact that it contains a lot of fiber and is a rich vegetable source of the omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid. Flaxseed also contains a number of helpful nutrients, such as soluble and insoluble fiber, phytochemical antioxidants known as lignans, as well as several vitamins and minerals.
Flaxseed is typically used to improve digestive health or relieve constipation, but it can also help lower total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) levels, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease. The connection between dietary fiber and digestive health is pretty obvious, but when it comes to potential cardiac benefits, it has not yet been shown which components of flaxseed are most helpful. So we can conclude that all components may be helpful or may work together.
The best way to add flaxseed to our diet is to do so daily with beverages. Flaxseed has a mild, nutty flavor that goes well with a mix of foods such as: mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed into yogurt or breakfast cereal, hot or cold; in smoothies, pancake mix, and other baked goods.
In tons of supermarkets as well as supplemental nutrition shops, you can buy flaxseed in bulk, either whole or ground. You can grind the seeds whole in a coffee grinder and then store them for months in a sealed container. To preserve the flavor and health benefits of flaxseed, keep it cool or even in the freezer and grind just before eating.